The Hampton Inn on Stirling was so expensive as to be out of sight.
The Hampton Inn that we're booking into is very nice and is rated highly by the cruise hotel/motel critics.
Bahama Mama
Bring a drawstring tall garbage bag or two for laundry. There'll be one in your cabin, but if you need a bigger one than they have, or you need more, bring your own.
You can rinse some small things out in your bathroom basin.....like underclothes and socks. There's a short clothes line you pull out in the bathroom. Drying takes longer because of the humidity at sea.
It's surprising how clean your clothes stay on these near-spotless ships. Plus there's little or no air pollution in the Caribbean. Many people opt to rinse some things out and just fold other laundry flatly in a bag or two to bring them home rather than sit around in the laundromat waiting for a machine to open up.
Dry cleaning and pressing service is also available for a fee. About the only pricey luxury on a cruise I avail myself of is "express ironing". No matter how carefully I pack, most of my clothes are dreadfully wrinkled when I open the suitcases.
As soon as I arrive in my cabin, I fill out the form for ironing service, give the most egregiously wrinkled garments to my room steward, give him a couple bucks tip and ask him to take my duds to the pressers right away. I check "express service" on the form which means I'll get the ironing back that same late afternoon or early evening or whenever. I don't know exactly how fast they are on this ship, but they're usually really speedy. You'll return to your cabin and find your covered, neatly-pressed garments hanging beautifully in your closet.
Right off the bat, on the second night at sea (Sunday, Mothers Day)is the first formal night....so I know I'll have something that definitely will need ironing.
The second formal night is Thursday. Formal nights are always on sea days so you have lots of leisurely time to spiffy up and do your fingernails.
As also posted on the first thread, on formal nights gents can wear sports coats, shirts, Rush Limbaugh ties, nice slacks and casual shoes. No pain, guys.
Bahama Mama